The union of cultures and ways of life to defend and empower peace that underpins the motto of Rototom Sunsplash 2023 is rooted in two of the most idiosyncratic cultural spaces of the international reggae festival: Pachamama and Jamkunda. Both enrich their programming and reformulate themselves to strengthen the connection with the public and project their message. Two engines of social action and environmental awareness and defense of the territory that in this edition advance some of the novelties that jump to the extra-musical agenda of Rototom. They strengthen their schedule with international voices such as the youtuber Soy Tribu or the anti-racist activist Sani Ladan, they open up to the performing arts and strengthen ties with other cultural spaces such as the Foro Social or Magico Mundo.
The union promoted by the 2023 slogan will be very much present in Pachamama which, while maintaining its traditional agenda of connection and emotional well-being with the therapy and yoga sessions, the seed table and the work with agroecological collectives, takes a turn in its approach to delve into the connection with the earth from the earth. “We are part of the global ecosystem and we want to take care of it as if it were our own body,” the organization says.
Of the need to care for the earth and to know and respect its many forms of life, he knows a great deal. I am Tribe, a project that documents, through a motorcycle trip around the world, native and contemporary tribes “to show the different faces of this planet through the faces of those who inhabit it”. Behind him is Agustín Ostos, who one day decided to exchange his toga for a motorcycle and set out on the road of life to open this digital window, giving voice to unknown people who carry messages of peace, conscience and wisdom. Precisely his first motorcycle trip was to Rototom Sunsplash, and this summer he returns to close this circle and share his new challenge: to travel, from 2023 to 2025, up to 11 countries in Central and North America, from Panama to Alaska. It will do so within the agenda of Pachamama on Saturday, August 19, with a talk that will be held in the tent of the Social Forum.
Soy Tribu has more than 4.8 million followers on its social networks. From 2017 to 2023, he has traveled 88,000 kilometers of 19 countries, visited 94 tribes and documented 1001 stories.
Pachamama also innovates by incorporating theater into its agenda. On the one hand, with a puppet show by Hydra Teatre, ‘La tierra cuenta’ (Friday 18 at Pachamama and Saturday 19 at Mágico Mundo). An interactive show in which the public can share alternatives that addresses the exploitation of the natural materials of the territory by telling two parallel stories in Peru and Spain. It also joins the social theater workshop ‘Defending the territory. Artivism for human rights’, by Entre Iguales in the framework of the València Defensa program and in collaboration with the Funtun awareness group of the València Acull association.
As part of its agenda of talks and colloquiums, the area will host a meeting with Latin American women human rights defenders from the program ‘El grito de la tierra’ (The cry of the earth). València Defensa, together with La Colectiva and Entre Iguales; and will present the ‘Projects supported by the community’ by Perifèries PV with Cabanyal Horta and La Repartidora.
Jamkunda, the space to know Africa together with Africa, will also talk about peace and union in the programming designed for its new landing in the ‘United for Peace’ edition.
Thus, the afternoons at the Ataya corner of Pachamama will include among its debates ‘The Moon is in Douala’ (Thursday, August 17) with the activist, expert in migration and human rights, writer and author of the book of the same name, Sani Ladan, and the also activist Viviane Ogou, founder and president of Puerta de África, which promotes youth empowerment, research and outreach on the African continent. In this talk they will reflect on migration processes, on the right to travel and on how the restriction of movement affects peace building. Joins ‘Building Peaceful Communities’, with political scientist and activist Saiba Bayo (August 19); and ‘Architecture and the City. Designing inclusive and sustainable cities’ (August 21) with architect Laida Memba and historian Antumi Taosijé.
The workshops that will alternate with the debates will deal with Afro spirituality, music as a universal language or the values of the African community from the perspective of gastronomy, with the participation of the artist Agnes Essonti, who combines photography, video, performance and gastronomy in his work.
Modern Afro dance and new stage: Jamkunda Stage
Afro-modern dance sessions, with leading figures on the scene such as Enfant des Bois and Makuriya (from August 17 to 22, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.) will serve as a link to the evening programming of this space, which is also new. The new Jamkunda Stage emerges, which will offer daily more than five hours of musical agenda with the Afrobeats universe as a backdrop, which will be exported by the collectives Afrobrunch directly from Barcelona -bringing internationally renowned DJ’s- and Follow The Partythe urban movement that promotes social diversity through music, from Bilbao. The Voodoo Club, a symbol of contemporary African culture, joins the line-up. Together they will give pulse to evenings turned into a danceable sound showcase of Afro-modern rhythms in which, in addition to Afrobeats, will alternate sessions of coupe decalé, mblax, Afro-Caribbean or amapiano.
